Vandalism of Kilkeel war memorial being treated as hate crime
- Published
Police received a report on Sunday morning that the wreaths were removed from the memorial in Lower Square
The vandalism of a war memorial in Kilkeel, County Down, is being treated as a hate crime by police.
A number of poppy wreaths were removed from the memorial and were later found in a river and lying on a road.
Police were alerted to the incident at the memorial in Lower Square on Sunday morning.
Sgt Kenny Grace said it was the second incident involving poppy wreaths in the town in the space of a week.
He said in the first incident last weekend, a wreath was stolen.
The wreaths were found lying in a river and also on a nearby road
Diane Forsythe, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member for South Down, described the incident as "vile behaviour of hate-filled individuals".